The Electrical and Optical Imaging laboratory, which is a part of the Neuroimaging Laboratory of the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, is a collaborative laboratory housing three principal investigators. The laboratory focuses on the integration of electrophysiological and functional imaging data in human subjects. Dr. Larson-Prior's current research is primarily focused on:

Investigation of the bases of state changes and state transitions in the brain. These studies use combined electrophysiological measures (electroencephalography, EEG and electrocorticography, ECoG) and functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to examine changes in the network activity of the brain in the transition from wake to sleep.

The role of sleep in learning, memory and cognitive performance in normal subjects and in individuals suffering from such sleep-related problems as insomnia and sleep disordered breathing. Collaborative investigations include studies of the effect of short duration sleep bouts (nap) on both procedural and declarative memory task performance.

Analysis of electrophysiological signals recorded from the human brain, including the development of new signal processing technologies for integration of these signals with those obtained by other imaging or recording modalities.

Dr. Larson-Prior is also very interested in mentor/mentee relationships, which she considers central to success in modern research science. As a result, she attended the Teaching Survival Skills and Ethics Course in Snowmass CO in 2003 and is mentoring in the Ferring Scholars program through WUSM.